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Pressure gauges: unsung heroes
Knowing which style of pressure gauge is right for your fluid power system is critical in ensuring consistent, efficient operation. Carl Dyke • Contributing Editor • info@lunchboxsessions.com
Pressure gauges are unsung heroes in many hydraulic systems. They are neither directing flow nor controlling pressure. If the pressure gauge is damaged or goes missing, the machine may continue to operate as though the pressure gauge was never even required. Even though a good pressure gauge should have no effect on its hydraulic system, it should not be ignored. It’s a first line of diagnosis and detection, and invaluable in a well-executed preventative maintenance program. A pressure gauge is your glimpse inside of an otherwise opaque system. It provides quantitative information about how the system is operating, and whether that operation is within normal limits. The best gauge
Like nearly everything else in hydraulics, asking “what’s the best pressure gauge” is almost guaranteed to get you the unsatisfying answer, “it depends.” And indeed, this is a case of one size never fitting all. Gauges that excel at repeatable and accurate high-pressure measurements almost universally will be 34
FLUID POWER WORLD
8 • 2020
www.fluidpowerworld.com
